Louisianans' life expectancy is lower than national average
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Louisianans have an average life expectancy of 72.2 years, one of the worst in the country.
The big picture: The U.S. average is 76.4 years as of 2021, per a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis.
- Hawaii (79.9 years), Massachusetts (79.6) and Connecticut (79.2) have the longest life expectancy at birth.
- Mississippi (70.9 years), West Virginia (71.0) and Alabama (72.0) have the shortest. In general, southern states had the lowest life expectancy.
Between the lines: Women are expected to live longer than men across the country.
- In Louisiana, women are expected to live 75.9 years, while men are at 68.8 years.
Zoom in: Life expectancy nationwide fell by 0.6 years between 2020 and 2021 — largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and drug overdoses, per the report.
How it works: The findings are based on a combination of mortality statistics and census and Medicare data.
The bottom line: With the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, these numbers will likely improve in future reports — as earlier preliminary data suggests.
- Still, both COVID and drug overdoses remain serious public health challenges.
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